PoE 2's Difficulty is Engaging

I have seen several forum posts complaining about the difficulty of this game, and I have heard there are content creators claiming the difficulty makes the game not fun for them. I'm making this post because I really appreciate what the devs have done with PoE 2 and would prefer they not "nerf" the difficulty. I'm finding this gameplay incredibly engaging and have been overjoyed at the challenges I've faced so far.

I understand that PoE 1 allowed for "zooming" through the content, and many people enjoyed that playstyle because it was heavily rewarded. Personally, I far prefer this gameplay where mechanics matter. It's not fun to me that the "optimal" way to play PoE 1 is to zoom through content so fast you that you don't even care what enemies you're encountering because they die instantly and can only affect you through on-death effects at most. I don't think that's engaging gameplay. At that point, youre just speeding through the content to get loot without any challenge.

I also think PoE 2 will become "easier" later through the accrued knowledge people gain and the inevitable build guides talented people will published online. Most of us are playing with "suboptimal" builds and don't have a good idea of what options we have. I doubt that PoE 2 will become as easy as PoE 1 with this accumulated knowledge, but I wouldn't want it to either. Here's to hoping the engaging gameplay PoE 2 offers is here to stay!